The Monster Inside Me
by Wind's Gale
Summary: Nighttime was when the demons came out to steal her voice and arouse her fear. In the deepest recesses of her mind lay the monster within her. It was when the darkness fell that she knew true fear. Kuvira can only find comfort in the one who stopped the monster. Written for Round 6 of the Pro-Bending Circuit.


_A/N: Prompts: Easy- (object) moon, Medium- (smell) vanilla, Hard- (restriction) No words beginning with P. Word Count: 1,979_

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Nightfall was always terrifying. Even after months of living in her isolated cell, she always knew when it was nighttime. Night was when the monsters came out. Night was when her screams were muffled. Night was when she learned what true fear was. As darkness descended upon her, the bloodstained moon rose high above her, staring at her. _Judging her. _

Every night she cried out to the moon. She begged it, implored it. It gave her so much comfort but at the same time, it mocked her. It made her feel inferior and worthless. It didn't stop her from talking to the one she feared.

"Where are my mom and dad?" She always asked. She didn't know why. She never received an answer. It was the same thing every time. The wind would carry the whispers, screams, and agonizing moans that tickled her ears. She could feel the ache in her soul grow with each second until it was too much to bear. She'd collapse. Her mother's face would replace the moon. And suddenly there was nothing.

She'd awake in an old house. It was too familiar to her. She knew it was the house she lived in before she was abandoned, so why did it shock her every time she ended up there? Something was always different about the house. It was old, dusty, and as abandoned as she was. Everything was quiet aside from the subtle screams carried through the wind that shook the house. It was dark. Each step she took made the floors beneath her creak and moan. She always started out in her room and made her way to the front door. Or at least, she tried too.

Her room was much bigger than she remembered. The bloody moon outside offered no kind of light. She could only see the shadows that danced out the corners of her eyes. Who's shadows were they? They couldn't have been human. The teeth were grotesque and unusually large and sharp. Whiteness replaced what should have been the eyes. The shadows stalked around her as if she were mere quarry. Then the footsteps started.

She took a step. The shadows disappeared. She heard footsteps shuffle downstairs. She was still a long way from her door. Another step. More shuffling. And closer. She had to get to her door. She had to close it before the monsters got her. She took another step. There were those footsteps again but they were closer. They were at the bottom of the stairs this time. She could hear faint groaning now. She had to close that door.

She made a dash for the door. The footsteps were just as quick as she was. They were heavy and threatening. Her heart raced in her chest. The closer the footsteps got, the more she smelled something familiar. Her mother's fragrance. It was vanilla laced with chai. Something inside her made her hesitate on closing the door. What if it was mother? She already knew the answer. It wasn't her mother. It was a monster.

She almost made it to the door. Her hand reached out to close it. It froze. The vanilla smell struck her nostrils hard. It made her lightheaded. In front of her stood a large, lankly beast. Its sharp teeth were so large that they threatened to explode out of its mouth. Its eyes were small and dark, offering no kind of human emotion behind them. It's skin and horns looked as if they were made out of tree bark. Its legs were bent backwards. How could such a creature move so fast being large and awkwardly built?

"Mother?" Why did she always call it mother? As she backed away, she bumped into something else. She was too afraid to turn around. Another monster? Was everything out to get her? She could feel rough skin against her back, like tree bark. The smell of vanilla was overpowering. She used to enjoy it but now it made her sick. In a way, it terrified her.

She ran by the monster behind her, not even bothering to look at it. She tried to open a window but it wouldn't budge. She could hear footsteps shuffling behind her. Tears were streaming down her face. It was too much. She just wanted to leave this house. Why were the monsters keeping her here? The groans of the beasts behind her made her shake as they drew closer.

"Mom. Dad. Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered as she reluctantly turned around to face them. Suddenly she was a little girl again.

"We are not the monsters."

Their right arms lifted as their fists closed. The spirit energy cannon manifested on their arms. She saw the blushing bright light form.

"No! You can't do this! I'm your daughter!" She cried.

"We are not the monsters."

She reached out to them but something was wrong with her hands. And her arms. They were covered in bark-like skin. She touched the horns on her head. She didn't understand. The wind whistled roughly against the house. The screams it carried almost shattered her eardrums.

"We love you." Was the last thing she heard before she was engulfed in light.

Everything felt like it was hot and searing. She opened her eyes but she couldn't move anything else. Her flesh felt like it was falling off. She could see smoke rising from her own body. Was she that badly injured? The trees around her began to shake. There were heavy footsteps heard in the distance. It wasn't human footsteps. Whatever was making the movement was huge. Huge like her colossus. She had to move. She struggled to move her body to no avail. It was as if someone laid weights beneath her skin.

There was screaming and laughter all around her. Things were shuffling around her. Hands were on her. She wanted to close to her eyes. She was too terrified to see what kind of monsters were around her this time but some other force kept them wide open. She could see shadows dancing around her body. One slid up to her face and screamed. She wanted to flinch and close her eyes but she couldn't. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. All while this was happening, the monstrous footsteps drew closer as the screaming and laughter grew louder.

She could feel the footsteps stop a few feet from her. The shadows had suddenly left her immobilized body. She still couldn't move but she needed to run away from this beast. Suddenly she was hoisted off the ground and brought face to face with the giant. It had Bataar's head. His eyes were unusually large and equally terrifying as if they were staring right at her soul. She wanted to squirm and scream but she couldn't. She was helpless as she watched him open his mouth.

'_No no no! It can't end like this!' _

He arranged her above his mouth.

"_Someone! Anyone! Help me!" _

And dropped her.

Kuvira bolted upwards in her little cot. She was shaking. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Sweat covered her face and body. How long was she suppose to endure these nightmares? Some nights she wouldn't even sleep because of how terrified she was of her own mind. She felt like screaming but quickly realized her throat was dry and sore. Had she been screaming in her sleep?

"Are you alright?" She heard someone call out to her. Her eyes quickly fixed upon a being standing outside her cell door. She screamed.

"Kuvira! Calm down, it's me. Korra. Remember me?" Korra quickly opened the cell door. Her hand had a ball of fire blazing in it so she could see in the dark.

"Are you here to burn me, too?" Kuvira yelled.

"No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Korra stood a few feet Kuvira's cot. She didn't want to scare her further, especially with the ball of fire in her hand. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Why are you here? I thought everyone wanted me locked away to rot here so no one would have to look at me." Kuvira said as she brought her knees up to her chest.

"I-I don't know, honestly. I felt something. Like a cry for help. I can't explain it but something told me to come here. I heard screams and quickly came down here after convincing the guards that it was alright. Why were you screaming?" Korra frowned when she didn't get a response. "Was it about your mom and dad?"

"Leave me alone."

"Kuvira…"

"Why should you even care? It's not like we're friends or even acquaintances. I'm just another villain in your world. I'm destined to rot here while steeping in my fears and regrets. You can't even begin to understand everything I'm feeling right now."

"Maybe I don't. Maybe you could help me understand?"

"What good would it do? Nothing stops them."

"It's your mom and dad haunting you, isn't it?"

Kuvira sighed. "What do you see when you look at me?"

"What?"

"Do you see a monster? Do you see a murderous animal that needs to be euthanized? Do you see someone that's…not human?"

Korra stared at Kuvira. She couldn't quite fully grasp what was afflicting her but she had a good idea. Did she see her mom or dad in herself? She ended up launching a war just so she wouldn't end up like them. "You fear being just like them."

"They threw me away like I was nothing! Did they see the monster inside me before anyone else could? Did they know what kind of animal I was destined to become?" By now, tears were streaking down the inmate's cheeks. Her eyes locked in with Korra's, crying out for some kind of comfort.

"You're not a monster or an animal. You're human. Someone who's been hurt and betrayed. Sometimes when we're hurt by one extreme, we go to the other extreme thinking it's better."

"I don't understand."

Korra made her way to the edge of the cot to sit down. "When I first came to Republic City, I met a man named Tarrlok. We both tried to battle another man named Amon. It turned out that Tarrlok and Amon were brothers. And blood benders. Their father abused them and forced them to learn blood bending so they could take over Republic City in his name. Amon ended up growing up to be the Equalist leader. Tarrlok ended up becoming a dictator like you trying to stop Amon. In their attempt to be the opposite of their father, they ended up being just like him and fighting over the rule of Republic City."

"Like I did." Kuvira whispered.

"Sometimes we have to stop focusing on who everyone else is and start focusing on who we are. You're Kuvira. You're not your mother or your father."

"But everyone I've hurt…or killed. I'm worse than them."

The light in Korra's hand died and suddenly Kuvira was afraid. She heard Korra move around and then felt arms wrap around her vulnerable being. She allowed herself to lean into her hold while she sobbed quietly. She never expressed her fears and regrets to anyone. Not even Bataar Jr. The Avatar's company was comforting in an odd way. She didn't feel like she was being judged. She understood her as best she could. She acted like she cared. Even if none of it was real, she embraced those feelings. It felt good to feel like a human being once again. Her biggest regret was not having a friend like Korra to guide her. Maybe one day, she'll find redemption. Maybe one day, she will be forgiven. Maybe one day, they could actually friends. Maybe one day, the nightmares will stop.

Maybe.


End file.
